Chicago’s Best Burger: Lodi Tap House

(fast rock music) (train wheels clattering) (fast rock music) - Guys, when I say road trip, I mean out of town, winding roads surrounded by corn fields. Now this is a road trip. And today we're in Maple Park on our way to Lodi Tap House for

burger

s, beers, and possibly the

best

cheese curds in all of Illinois. (screams singing) (fast rock music) Many times we take a road trip and feel like we don't have a proper trip except Lodi, to get here driving through the corn fields, through the farms, I really felt like it was a true destination. (fast rock music) Yeah, I mean it's a small town right after all the buildings in the suburbs.

But when you get here, we have one of the

best

craft beer offerings in Illinois, plus the best food around. (fast rock music) - Maple Park is a little nugget of gold. - It's like in the middle of nowhere, but it's also a place that, once you've been there, you won't forget. - It's one of those places you can come to that is a little off the beaten path. - Look, I'm a hungry man, I've made an incredible journey to get here so I feel like it's time to get back to the kitchen. Also, we heard from our friend, Darrin, who is basically an honorary member of the show, that you guys have an amazing

burger

, outrageous cottage cheese, so it seems about right to me. - Absolutely. (rapid drums)-This is Chef Stu, he is the man who is going to replenish my hunger. - The first thing we will do is have our burgers here.

We add our butter and bacon mixture. Throw it on the grill. - Wow, rewind. (recording rewind) Our what? - It is a €50 mixture of butter and bacon fat. - Bacon. - I love you, I love you and I love you too. (fast rock music) - Alright, now all we have to do is wait for it to melt a little. You want to reach that perfect melting stage. - And while we wait for it to melt perfectly, I think it's time for me to put on the curd. You make them. - Yes sir. - Curd, dry, wet mixture. - To the fryer. - We have a production line going, my friends. (train whistle) (fast rock music) - A friend of the show, basically a family member of the show, Darrin has been on the show longer than I have. - I want to say that you have made our lives much better.

I mean, when we see something in the episode, it's like on the list for next week. - You are the first person to tell me that I have improved their life. - (laughs) - What is it about this place that you wanted us to know? - When you come here, this is one of those places where you take a bite of the food and think, what, and your brain just explodes and that's it. I tell them you have to come here. (fast rock music) - This is similar to what my last meal might look like. - Hell yeah, let's do it. - Well. - Health. - Sounds. (fast rock music) Mm, holy (beep).

It's a very good burger, not just the fact that I was blown away by that 50 50 bacon butter fat in there. It's a burger worth the drive. - There you go. - Which brings us to the second part of the last meal. Curd cheese made at home. -The sky pillows are great. - Oh my God. Cheese for days. Are there properties for sale in the area? - (laughs) We'll find you one. Consider it done. - Well. (glasses clink) Deal. (fast rock music) (whistle)